How to Raise a Dragon is a casual platformer in which you play as a dragon throughout the stages of its life. There are a number of outcomes players can achieve depending on what actions they take.
Although Flash was discontinued on January 12 2021, How to Raise a Dragon is still playable through BlueMaxima’s Flashpoint or Newgrounds Player.
Controls[]
As the Dragon[]
- Left/Right Arrow Keys: Move left and right
- Z: Jump
- Down and Z: Drop down through some platforms
- X: Bite
- C: Use power (once the dragon gains a power)
As the Hero[]
- Left/Right Arrow Keys: Move left and right
- Z: Jump
- X: Pick up/drop item
- C: Shoot (if the hero has the bow and arrow)
Gameplay[]
The game is divided into four stages, three of which revolve around different stages of the dragon's life. During these stages your actions determine various things about the dragon, such as its color, what kind of powers it has, and how (or if) it interacts with humans.
In the fourth and final stage, you take control of a human hero who sets out to confront the dragon. This, too, can have different outcomes depending on your actions; the hero can wind up dead, successfully kill the dragon, or even become friends with the dragon.
After completing the game at least once, it's possible to start a new game from any of the four stages, and you are free to customize your dragon using any of the presets you already attained by playing the game.
Stage 1: Hatchling[]
The dragon starts out as an egg in the middle of a forest. You have to press the arrow keys eight times to get it to hatch. After doing so, the newly hatched dragon is able to move and jump, and you can freely explore the level. You can also determine what color the dragon becomes by making it eat plants or insects that change the dragon's color. These foods come in red, green, and blue varieties, and they slightly alter the dragon's color with each one eaten; this allows you to turn the dragon into virtually any color in the rainbow.
At the end of the level, the dragon encounters a wizard and is captured by him.
Stage 2: Adolescence[]
Having been in captivity for quite some time, the dragon has finally become strong enough to break out of its cage and explore the wizard's castle, while the wizard himself is sick in bed. To get out of the cage, you have to press the arrow keys four times. In this level, the dragon's wings are more developed and it can now double jump.
Unlike in Stage 1, there are multiple ways to end this level; you can have the dragon obtain a power and use it to escape the castle in some way or another (or simply escape without a power).
No Power[]
The dragon is able to escape without any powers by just going to the well without eating enough to get any breath powers.
Fire Breath[]
The dragon becomes able to breathe fire, which can burn anything that's flammable.
To get this power, the dragon must eat:
- The fireplace at the bottom of the starting tower
- The candle in second tower
- The fire potion in the third tower
- The torch in the well
With this power, the dragon can escape by igniting the haystack. The dragon can also use this power to burn the wizard and some of his belongings.
Healing Breath[]
The dragon becomes able to breathe a healing mist that cures sicknesses and can even bring dead things back to life.
To get this power, the dragon must eat:
- The mushrooms in the well
- The blue potion in the middle tower
- The other blue potion in the middle tower
- The blue potion in the right-hand tower
With this power, the dragon can escape by healing the wizard, which will cause him to set the dragon free out of gratitude.
Plant Breath[]
The dragon becomes able to shoot streams of magically charged water that can make plants grow very quickly.
To get this power, the dragon must eat:
- The plant in the second tower
- The plant between the first and second towers
- The plant on top of the first tower
- The plant in the fountain to the left of the first tower
With this power, the dragon can escape by healing the tree near the fountain, causing it to grow branches strong enough for the dragon to climb on.
Stage 3: Adulthood[]
Out in the wild, the dragon is able to grow into a fully-grown dragon. With its wings fully developed, it can now jump infinitely. In this stage, the dragon is able to explore a town, and you get to decide if and how it interacts with the humans. The main goal of this stage is to find the dragon a home by letting it nest either in the center of the town or up on a cliff. This, along with what the dragon does in the town, determines if the dragon becomes a good or bad dragon.
Titles[]
Behavior[]
This is determined by how the dragon interacts with the humans.
- Fertile: Use plant breath on the crops
- Fiery: Set things on fire
- Necromantic: Kill humans and then reanimate them
- Rampaging: Trample or eat humans
- Reclusive: Don't interact with the humans
- Wild: Use plant breath on everything
- Healer: Heal the dead deer and wounded humans, but not the dead ones
Class[]
This is determined by how well the dragon behaves and where it chooses to live.
- Guardian: Behave well and live in the town
- Tyrant: Behave badly and live in the town
- Watcher: Behave well and live on the cliff
- Scourge: Behave badly and live on the cliff
Stage 4: The Hero[]
With the dragon settled in the town, a hero shows up to claim his destiny with the dragon. In this final stage, you take control of the hero and decide how he deals with the dragon. You can have the hero bring a bow and arrow, a bag of gold, or a rose to the dragon, which can have various results.
Ending[]
This is determined by whether the dragon is good or bad and how the hero deals with it.
- Slaying the Dragon: Kill the dragon with the bow and arrow
- Fall of the Hero: Be killed by the dragon
- Friendship: Befriend a good dragon (with the rose)
- Service: Befriend a bad dragon (with the gold)
- Stalemate: Kill and be killed by the dragon simultaneously